1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automated security setting of a wireless communication network such as a wireless local area network (hereinafter LAN) etc., more particularly, to security setting method of wireless communication network, security setting program, wireless communication network system and client device, in which security setting of a client device, an access point device and so on connected with a wireless LAN is automated.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wireless LAN is a method of transmitting/receiving data using a radio wave wherein a wireless communication can be provided over obstacles such as walls etc. As a communication method of the wireless LAN, there are a mode of communicating through an access point as a relay point, and a mode of communicating between the terminals without using the access point. Differently from a wired LAN, a wireless LAN is accessible from outside if a radio frequency reaches thereto. It is therefore necessary for the wireless LAN to set security, for example, between a client device and an access point device for wireless communication. Generally, an operator operating each device is requested for manually entering the same encryption key for security setting, which is trouble making for the operator.
Referring to security setting for the wireless LAN, there is a configuration having an automated setting at the client side based on the access point setting information so that complicated setting operations can be eliminated (Japanese Patent Application, Laid-open Publication No. 2004-127187). There is a configuration that an access point transmits a wired equivalent privacy (hereinafter WEP) key to a client terminal, after the transmission is acknowledged, a media access control (hereinafter MAC) address of the client terminal is registered, and the client terminal sets the transmitted WEP key by itself (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-215232). There is a configuration that a client transmit a public key and a one-way Hash to an access point, the access point transmits the one-way Hash to a recognition server, an access point encrypts a WEP key generated by the recognition server, the client receives the encrypted WEP key, and the WEP key is obtained by decoding it using a secret key (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-15725). There is a configuration for permitting a guest identification (hereinafter ID) connection using a guest ID in case where the guest ID is accompanied by a connection request of a client to be connected with an access point through wireless LAN (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-40156).
There is a configuration that a terminal transmits a request for recognition to an access point, the access point transmits a MAC address to a recognition server in a recognition server protocol of the recognition server, the recognition server executes the MAC address recognition and transmits a challenge text, and the access point performs encryption recognition with a base station in accordance with a WEP algorithm process specified in IEEE 802.11 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2001-111544). There is a configuration provided with a communication terminal receiving recognition from a recognition server through a network and a base station transferring communication performed by the communication terminal through a virtual LAN, for receiving security information generated by each of the virtual LAN from the recognition server (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-312257). There is a configuration for transmitting a necessary recognition data to the client terminal for settling a connection using a high level encryption system requiring recognition process after settling a communication using a low level encryption system between a client and an access point (wireless communication) is settled (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-72682).
By the way, security setting for a client to be allowed to connect from the access point connected with the wireless LAN requires troublesome operations. For allowing the connection, the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-72682 requires a client for a low-level security setting, and without the low-level security setting. In the case where one-step security setting system is used without security setting, the security setting information in such environment may be leaked, which breaks its security.
There is a case that the access point is stopped for changing its security setting every time when security setting is changed, such stopping causes negative effects on communication of other client being connected, which is inconvenient.
The above Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-127187, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-215232, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-15725, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-40156, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2001-111544, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-312257, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-72682, do not disclose or teach the above problems and their solutions are not described or taught.